Something's brewing in Bourne

Sunday

BOURNE — The 6A Brewing Company's newly opened taproom on Cranberry Highway in Sagamore is the first of what seems to be a growing trend of taprooms and breweries coming to Bourne.

“It’s good, we are excited to be part of the Cape Cod brewers scene,” said John Downes, spokesperson for the brewery and brother of Matt Downes, owner and manager of the taproom. “That’s the reason we called the brewery 6A; we want to be part of an integral part of Cape Cod.”

6A Brewing Company opened in 2017 out of a 400-square-foot brick building behind Father’s Kitchen and Taphouse in Sandwich. The business was serving its beer at Flynn’s Irish Pub and other accounts in the region.

The taproom, which opened three weeks ago, brews craft beer in the basement and serves it upstairs. This allows for the freshest beer and an ever-changing selection, John Downes said.

“Someone can come here one week and come back the next week and have three different beers,” he said.

The 69-person capacity taproom has long tables for tastings — and board games — and a back room with couches for people to relax and socialize, Downes said. And beer is available in cans to buy when they leave, he said.

“(We're) just another outlet for families to have fun and go out,” Downes said.

As the summer moves forward, he also plans on catering the taproom with food from Father’s Kitchen and is hoping to get a few food trucks, he said.

6A Brewing is also looking to collaborate with other local breweries such as Barnstable Brewing in Hyannis and Devil’s Purse Brewing Company in South Dennis, Downes said.

“It’s a tight-knit community," Downes said of brewers and breweries. “We’re just going to have fun with this and see how it goes.”

As construction is being completed at 85-93 Main St. in Buzzards Bay, another new business, Buzzards Bay Brewing, also is preparing to open a taproom.

“It’s sort of like a weird homecoming,” said Bill Russell, owner of the Westport-based brewery, referring to the name of both the company and the village.

The taproom, at 85 Main St., will feature wine and beer from the brewery and is scheduled to open by the end of summer or early fall, Russell said.

Buzzards Bay Brewing is doors away from the newly opened Mahoney’s on Main restaurant, one of the few new businesses currently open on the west end of Main Street.

The taproom will have a small bar and various places for people to sit and gather. Seating will be a mix of fixed tables and high-tops, but most of the interior will be movable to allow the space to change, Russell said.

"It will be a place where people can get off their phones and strike up conversations with complete strangers," he said.

Russell became aware of the location in late April while in the area for business. He visited the site and bumped into building owner Vincent Michienzi, who shared his vision about revitalizing Main Street.

“We want to revitalize and build a space that is community-oriented, where people can get together and enjoy spending time together," Russell said.

Russell is still applying for farm brewery and winery licenses at both the federal and state level. When that is approved, he will apply to the town for a pouring permit.

In the meantime, Russell is hoping to apply for some single-day beer and wine licenses to allow him to open on a limited basis.

Russell’s family started a winery in Westport in 1986 and opened the brewery there in 1997, he said.

He said he was drawn to Main Street in part because of the area's rich history. Once a thriving downtown area, businesses dwindled after Route 25 was opened to the Bourne Bridge in 1987.

Now business is starting to come back, said Russell, who wants to take part in the revitalization.

Not far down the road, Oak Bay Brewery plans to open in the former Asacks footwear store at 140 Main St., owner Brian Poulin said Friday.

The lease has been signed and the permit process has begun, Poulin said.

Plans include having about 60 seats inside with additional 26 outside to accommodate a beer garden that will overlook the railroad bridge that spans the Cape Cod Canal. Poulin also hopes to incorporate the history of the footwear store into the final design of the brewery, he said.

Poulin started the process about a year ago when he was originally planning on going into the location Buzzards Bay Brewing is going now. After that submission fell through, Poulin continued to search for a new location along Main Street, landing at his current location, he said.

Oak Bay Brewery is hoping to open its doors by January, Poulin said.

A resident of South Plymouth, Poulin said he has been coming to Buzzards Bay for over two decades and always thought about making his home-brew operation into a brewery.

“Our main goal really through all of this was to bring traffic to Main Street,” said Poulin, who added that it is always fun to visit multiple breweries at once. “If you can bring that experience to Main Street, it would be so epic.”

Poulin says he already has plans to collaborate with other businesses along Main Street, with the goal of making Buzzards Bay a destination.

— Follow Beth Treffeisen on Twitter: @BTreffeisenCCT.

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